The FBI defines a "mass shooting" as an event in which four our more people are killed by gun violence, not including the perpetrator.  Unfortunately in modern day America, these tragic events seem to happen more often than they should.  For example, the mass shootings at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary school are only some of the incidents that are becoming more common in America.  The number of mass shootings at schools and public gatherings in the United States is rising at an alarming rate and many people are searching for answers as to why this is happening. Explanations for mass shootings is still an ongoing investigation but it can be narrowed down to mental disabilities, and bullying in the school systems and the media, rather than common scapegoats such as videogames.

A rising argument and a fall for mass shootings is centered on violent video games, and how they negatively affect America's youth. Tom McGrath writes in "When Killing is a Game", which touches on whether or not video game violence is responsible for real life violence.  The article also focuses on the perpetrators of recent mass shootings and shows their connection to violent video games.  McGrath writes, "Adam Lanza, the 20 year old behind the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, had logged more than 500 hours playing the first-person shooter game Combat Arms, during which he recorded a staggering 83,496 kills" (McGrath).  McGrath also highlights James Holmes, the perpetrator of the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting, and how he was quoted saying that during the shooting, he "felt like he was in a video game" (McGrath).  Although scientific experts who study the effects of violent video games say that there is no real way to prove whether or not violent video games lead to real life violence, they have proved that these games are making gamers more aggressive and less sensitive to violence in the real world. 

As people argue that video games are the reason for modern gun violence, there is also an opposing side to the topic. Some researchers believe that all of the "metal side-effects" caused by video games are bogus and "they counter that much of the research indicting video games is flawed and that their own studies generally show no ill effects from playing these games" (McGrath). Blaming games is not logical for causing deaths around the country. Some people such as Chris Ferguson, a college psychology professor, believe that violent video games do not influence gamers to perform mass shootings. Millions of people across the world play violent video games and only a tiny fraction can be pinned to shootings, which gives rise to other reasons that can cause violence. Ferguson argues that research saying that violent games make violent people is very flawed and in his own studies that have all failed to prove a major negative effect from playing violent video games, and that these shootings are generally caused by either a pre-existing mental disability or one that came about due to abusive family relationships or bullying. Other issues in a person that has performed a shooting are more logical and proven reasons than video games. 

 Social issues in the common high school are considered a larger reason for the anger and violence that can be attributed towards shootings. In an article titled "How the Columbine High School Tragedy Could Have Been Prevented", the author, Elliot Aronson, discusses the Columbine shooting and presents his research findings on students who commit violent acts in schools.  In modern day America, middle schools and high schools are typically organized into a hierarchy of specific social groups and cliques.  Aronson writes about how through interviews with high school students, he learned that all high schoolers "are aware of the social hierarchy, know the rankings and know their place within it" (Aronson).  Everyone can imagine the people at the very bottom of that hierarchy are the kids who are called geeks, nerds, fat and other hurtful names, and that these kids could me more likely to lash out or commit a violent act to get back at their bullies.  Aronson writes, "After an intensive study of the incident, one concluded that the rampage killings are just the pathological tip of an enormous iceberg: The poisonous social atmosphere prevalent at most high schools in this country -- an atmosphere characterized by exclusion, rejection, taunting and humiliation" (Aronson).  Being subjected to the constant rejection and exclusion that some kids may face in high school can lead to a lot of built up anger, frustration and hatred, depending on the person.  Not all students who are bullied or excluded go out and perform violent acts, but for a small few, the abuse can definitely play a strong factor in someone's decision to perform a violent act.  In the case of the Columbine shooting, the two perpetrators recorded a video before the shooting took place, openly expressing their own hurt, anger and anxiety that was a direct result of being harassed and excluded in school.  This shows that the environment of high school had revealed or possibly created some sort of mental health problem within them and was a major factor behind the tragic shooting that took the life of a teacher and fourteen students, including themselves.  

There are possible solutions to fixing the social stratifications in high schools. A modern solution to the rejecting and excluding in a school environment are "jigsaw classrooms".  Jigsaw classrooms are classrooms in which students are mixed with all types of students in their grade and are required to work together on various tests and assignments.  What it does is break down social barriers and allows students to do not usually associate with each other to work with one another and get to know a new student better than they typically would not give the time of day to.  These classroom lead to an increase in self-esteem and confidence among students in order to prevent stress and mental health issues, helping to eliminate gun violence in schools.  

A third possible cause for the increase in mass shootings in the United States is directly related to the media.  In today's world, the media is everywhere and has a very strong influence on how people perceive information. Through media outlets like television, the internet, and socialization, people are able to follow a new story as it develops. One of the most noticeable tactics that news stations and media use to get attention from viewers is repetition.  For example, shooting rampages and gun violence are constantly in the American media.  The constant showing and repetition of these violent videos and stories dehumanizes the victims, desensitizes the American public and makes it seem as if violence is part of the social norm.  

Gun violence and shooting rampages are a very emotional debate point in current American media and politics.  In an article entitled "Shooting Rampages, Mental Health and the Sensationalization of Violence", Miguel Faria writes, "there is another even more sinister and perhaps more insoluble contributing factor  --  namely, the problem of how the media report and how popular culture sensationalize violence, which in association with the fruitless pursuit of celebrity status in vogue today is all pervasive" (Faria). In a very evil and psychotic way, people could use violence to gain "popularity" and use it as a way to get there name out there, possibly after being bullied or excluded.  Faria also talks about the studies performed by Dr. Brandon Centerwell of University of Washington School of Public Health and writes "Centerwall's studies found that in the U.S., there was an actual doubling of homicide rates after the introduction of television." Moreover, Centerwall noted that up to half of all homicides, rapes, and violent assaults in the U.S. were directly attributed to violence on television. And that was when violence on TV was nothing compared to the rampant and graphic violence depicted today in the movies, on TV, and now on the Internet.  Studies like the one discussed show that television and the media directly relates to an increase in gun violence in modern America.  

The sensationalizing of violence by today's media is a real problem in the current times, and they inspire these tragic events to happen over and over again.  A common effect is the idea of "copycats". Copycats repeat actions of others, either good or bad. Serial killers and shooting rampages have also been subject to the copycat phenomenon because of the sensationalization of violence. Coleman relates that copycat incidents are not new to the 21st century.  The only way to stop these repeat offenses from happening is for the media to stop using these tragic events for television rating or hot selling newspaper.  Media production people and reporters should come together and figure out a way to stop what they have been doing in order to get rid of the idea that violence is part of the American social norm.  

At this point in time, nobody knows the true answer as to why there has been such a high increase in mass shootings in the United States.  However, there are a few possible causes that were mentioned in this essay such as violent video games, mental disabilities, bullying in the school systems and the media that have been heavily researched.  Media is the biggest contributing cause to the increase in gun violence and mass shootings in our country.  The constant showing of violence done by the media, and the repetitive viewing of violence by the American people makes it seem as if violence is okay and just a part of everyday life in the United States.  

